The Sing-Off Season 2, Episode 4
Episode four kicks off with the Joe Cocker version of “With a Little Help from My Friends.” More or less custom built for Jerry Lawson. The Backbeats girl handles her solo serviceably, and the guy from On the Rocks is surprisingly successful at pulling it off. Everyone else just sounds too smooth for it, and would be a better fit for The Beatles version of this song.
On the Rocks is the first of the night’s competing groups, and performs an Elton John medley. They wear a mix of red sweaters, black cardigans and red and white sweaters. “The Bitch Is Back” leads it off. Great attitude, good, gruff sound and lots of fun choreography, particularly on the first transition into “Benny and the Jets” (though I could do without the Elton John glasses). The guys deliver huge on their visual presentation, spanning the stage really well and implementing a lot of stop motion choreography. The transition to “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” is less natural. Very polished solo and a nice build, but the song choice feels sort of thrown in to me. I’ll give the guys the benefit of the doubt and blame it on time constraints.
Nicole says it was moving how the guys found their inner-Elton and arrived at a clean sound as an ensemble. Ben praises the energy and blend, but found the groove too funky and the arrangement too complicated and fast for the first two legs of the medley, though he praises their work on “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me.” Shawn gives credit to the soloists for asserting themselves.
Committed sings next with an Usher Medley. Excellent artist pick for them. Gray vests, pink ties, blue shirts, and black slacks. They open on “DJ Got Us Fallin’ in Love.” Very nice solo. Slick transition “You Got It Bad.” The guys progress to “Love in this Club.” They demonstrate an uncanny ability to wrangle up these transitions such that they function melodically, rhythmically, and lyrically. Yet another great solo. The guys just look like they’re having fun in the background, bobbing to the music—no choreography per se, but just electric energy. Such sick harmonies and blend.
Ben says Committed was harmonically bad ass, citing that they take their music really seriously, but don’t take themselves too seriously. He praises the percussion and says he wasn’t missing any instrumental parts. Shawn praises the transitions, and how the group pulled out harmonies and made them work for each song. Nicole says they took us from the church to the club and it was awesome.
Street Corner Symphony takes the stage next with a Beatles medley. They open on “Eleanor Rigby.” Nice staccato sound to simulate the strings, which is especially strong in juxtaposition to the slick blend on the longer, sweeping notes. The hand movements look a little awkward, but it’s a minor gripe. Great backing solo on the chorus. The transition to “Help!” is abrupt and inorganic. It’s fun, though, to finally see a new soloist for the second round of this. And, hey, the guy actually looks a bit like John Lennon. Anyway the harmonies continue to flow, all the way into “Hey Jude” to take it home. Again, a sloppy transition—this comes off as not so much a medley as a set of three distinct songs with short pauses between (a handful of fans even started clapping after the “Help!” section, thinking it was done). Anyway, great sound and attitude, but “Hey Jude” is the type of song in which a group of six guys like this gets exposed—they just don’t have the firepower on stage to compete with the monster sound we get from groups like On the Rocks, or even Jerry Lawson and company. Ordinarily, that’s just fine, but this is one of those Paul McCartney bring the house down songs, and it just didn’t feel big enough to me. Nice riff on the finish, while the rest of the group holds out its note for a fine finish.
Shawn says there were some rhythm issues, but it was melody-driven and it worked. Ben says the harmonies were a little rough early but they listened to each other and got back on track. He praises the beatbox when it was there, but missed it when it was gone. Nicole calls the performance absolutely lovely.
The Backbeats take on Lady Gaga next. Bold choice, given On the Rocks got famous off this artist, but I do think the artist fits The Backbeats’ group identity and sound really well. The group wears metallic-looking suits and dresses. Nice slow start with “Poker Face” before they go heavy on the rock beat. Very slick movement, great energy—this is a taste of the Backbeats group I’ve been waiting for! The solo is a little yell-y but I’ll take it. Good transition to “Paparazzi.” They slow the end of “Poker Face” considerably to do it, and just that tiny bit of effort went so far in making it a transition rather than a song break. I don’t love that they stayed slow the whole time on this; it was probably the right call from a pacing standpoint, but this middle segment could have been a lot more fun. Similar tempo change effect to speed up into “Just Dance.” Great energy, movement, solo, and, most of all, fantastic electronic sound effects. This part marks the apotheosis of the group as they mash on up with subtle samplings of “Poker Face” and “Paparazzi” before finishing with a digitized fade out sound effect. Far and away the best the group has been on the show, and though it may not have been the best musical performance of the night thus far, they certainly did the most with the concept of a medley.
Nicole credits The Backbeats for emulating synthesized sounds so well. Shawn says it was very entertaining. Ben lauds the vocal percussionist for her work on “Paparazzi” and the group’s ability to share the spotlight.
Jerry Lawson and Talk of the Town round out the first half with an Otis Redding sampler platter. The guys start wisely with the slow smooth sound of “Sitting on the Dock of the Bay.” Great sound but I have mixed feelings on Jerry’s “Oh mercy”s. It’s funny because I really liked it when he sang it in the preview clip, because he sounded genuinely moved by the music. I was sort of lukewarm on it hearing him sing it again in the actual performance, and by the third time, it just came off forced. Very accomplished, borderline sexy solo on “Try Some Tenderness.” The guys end on “Respect.” These guys don’t do much in the way of transitions, but start surely and confidently enough to make you forget it. The movement seems a little stilted on “Respect” and there’s a borderline smugness about Jerry that I hadn’t noticed to this point that doesn’t look so good on him.
Ben points out that “Respect” is, in fact, an Otis Redding original and praises the transitions, and notes that they didn’t tune up quite the way they usually do on “Try a Little Tenderness.” Shawn likens the guys’ sound to sipping lemonade, and says it just feels good. Nicole says the performance gave her goose bumps.
Time for the first elimination of the night. Nick Lachey lands quite possibly the most awkward line of the season thus far when it gets down to two group on stage, saying “one of you is still in tune with the judges, the other has gone flat.” On the Rocks is going home. Though I thought they were stronger than Talk of the Town and maybe even Street Corner Symphony on the medley, this was still probably the right call, given the groups’ overall bodies of work at this stage of the competition. Their swan song is “The Final Countdown” complete with quite elaborate choreography—gotta love a group that stays so true to itself even under these circumstances.
Committed kicks off the second half of the show with the judges’ choice song, Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together.” Much more mellow song than these guys have sung to this point, and its visible in them taking to sitting in stools in pinks shirts and ties. They make the interesting choice of handing the solo off across almost the entire group, line by line, on the first verse. Each of the guys is a brilliant soloist, no question, but the device gets a bit tired going into the second verse. Outstanding bass sound throughout. Sick blend on the choruses. All in all, it was another very strong musical performance, but by far the most boring showing from the group to date.
Shawn says it was smooth, relaxing, and he appreciates their decision not to do anything crazy with it. Nicole says listening to the guys was like going to a candy store in heaven and picking out her favorite candy (not joking). Ben loved the harmonies and seamless distribution of the solo.
Street Corner Symphony performs next with Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Down on the Corner.” The song fits the guys’ down home feel quite nicely. Great perc, and the guys seem to be having fun again, which is a good look for them. They slow down and jazz up a sampling of the song, and work their own name into the lyrics. This experiment could have gone either way for the guys, and I think the gamble paid off. The guys make the good decisions to stand up front and move, but not to attempt choreography—it’s just not something this group pulls off well. All in all, a good performance and nice recovery from a weaker first run on this episode.
Ben says they nailed it, making a classic sound modern. Shawn applauds the decision to maintain the feel of the original record, and calls the performance, playful, soulful , fun, tight, and funky. He labels it arena a cappella. Nicole says the group is alive and kicking.
The Backbeats sing next with Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide.” Very soft start with most of the group shrouded in shadows, the soloist up front. Kenton Chan emerges playing air string bass. Very pretty sound throughout the first verse, leaning very heavily on the solo to carry the song. Subtle crescendo throughout the verse before the lights go on and the group comes alive with sound on the chorus. Very pretty choruses. This is a great song to show off the group as musicians, but a poor one to show off their ability as entertainers. I think the group is pretty squarely equal on those two platforms, and so the song is a disservice to their chances at survival. It’s emotionally winning, and they were smart to keep it simple, but I don’t think the song allowed them to sell themselves the way they should have been able to.
Nicole calls the performance beautiful, and particularly praises the solo. Ben calls the arrangement innovative and liked the arpeggios in place of percussion. Shawn says that he saw the sound, and lauds the visual presentation, particularly on the solo.
Jerry Lawson and Talk of the Town finish the second half with “House of the Rising Sun” by The Animals. Good soulful sound—a bit more serious, a bit more dark than most of what the guys have done up to this point. Even the red, black and gray of the outfits sell the song—the deep red arising from the dark and whatnot. Nice theatrical effect with Jerry seated for the first leg of the song, then standing with emotion and starting to riff a bit. He is very good as a front man in that regard—working in very simple ways to build visible and auditory drama. Nice choice to end the piece chorally. This was very good, of course, but still didn’t show as much range as I would like.
Shawn says the performance was soulful and they made the song a spiritual. Ben identifies the rendering as very visual, and beautiful. Nicole says every song they sing brings new meaning to it.
Elimination time once again. It’s difficult to see how The Backbeats wouldn’t go home at this juncture. I did think they got better and better as the show went on, and are worthy of the final four, but haven’t been as consistently top-notch as the other remaining groups. They would probably be due for departure anyway at this point, but I maintain the song selection did them no favors—they didn’t have the chance to maximize on what they’re capable of and earn their way into the finals.
Lo and behold—no one’s going home. What a shocking shocker of a shock. OK, so this is surprising, and I’m happy because I think all of four groups do deserve a spot in the finale. The presentation left something to be desired, though—the dramatic build was far less than any of the previous elimination rounds, and I’d go so far as to say the announcement led to more confusion than excitement on the show. Nonetheless, I’m happy with the decision—it reinforces what a lot of folks have been saying about the show—that it’s best viewed as less of a competition and more of an a cappella showcase during which their happen to be eliminations.
The Backbeats came on strong for the second half of the show, but, taken as a total package, probably still can’t be considered a real threat to win the competition. Jerry Lawson and Talk of the Town present a polished routine, but are a bit too professional and a bit too one-note to justify a win. Street Corner Symphony was a bit uneven, but consistently likeable and managed to find a nice, distinctive blend of pop, jazz and (finally) southern sounds. Committed started out strong, but wavered a bit in the later stages of the show. Nonetheless, they’ve demonstrated musical prowess and poise beyond their years and are probably the most deserving of the Sing-Off crown.
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